


The Road to Hell

by DivergentMage



Category: Magisterium Series - Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Genre: Aaron’s POV, Angst, Character Study, Gen, Honestly I'm just expanding on canon, It was originally going to be a one shot but then it got too long, M/M, The mages are assholes, Yeah so it starts in book one and ends at three, Yes this is the dark!aaron fic, deviates from canon slightly, many timeskips, of sorts, there is so much angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27624781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivergentMage/pseuds/DivergentMage
Summary: A study of Aaron Stewart, and what would've happened if things had played out just a little differently.
Relationships: Callum Hunt & Aaron Stewart
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	The Road to Hell

Good intentions. Aaron had plenty of good intentions. But as they said, good intentions had always paved the road to hell.

* * *

Aaron took a shaky breath and plastered on a smile. He walked through the hanger doors and sat down. This was it, this was where it would either make or break his life. He looked around the large stadium and noticed that no one else was alone.  _ Well it won’t matter _ , he thought to himself. He was starting over now.

* * *

He passed the Iron Trial. The thought of that made him giddy with joy. He couldn’t believe it, maybe now things were going to finally turn around for him. The other boy, Call, didn’t seem so excited about it though. Maybe it had something to do with his father, after all, he did get a knife thrown at him. But he had said the knife was  _ for _ him, and Aaron chose to believe him. He did know what people said about assumptions after all. “Is this seat taken?” Aaron asked with a smile.

* * *

_ Wonder. _ That was what being at the Magisterium made him feel. The caves, the people, he even saw a fiery lizard skitter around in the hallways. Even Call seemed happy, or at least happier. He snapped back to the present. Master Rufus was taking them somewhere, maybe they would learn something cool! “You forgot your wristband,” he reminded Call. Call rolled his eyes, though there was a touch of fondness in it.

* * *

Aaron flopped onto his bed. He sighed. This was  _ not _ how he had imagined the Magisterium to be like. Hours and hours in what was now dubbed the Room of Sand and Boredom had certainly worn away at his initial cheeriness. Nonetheless, it was still better than before. He methodically shook the sand out of his boots and sighed again. Surely there was a better way to do this. He’d ask Tamara about it later.

* * *

Aaron felt a deep sense of dread. Master Rufus had asked Call to his office, and he had seen what they had done with the sand. What if they got kicked out of the Magisterium for this? He had nowhere to go, he practically owed the Magisterium everything. But even more importantly, what would they do to Call if they thought that he was responsible. “No, ” he said. “It's my fault, I came up with the idea.” Master Rufus fixed him with a look. “I am well aware of what happened. Call, come with me.” The feeling of dread only increased. When Call came back, he didn't look at him or Tamara. Aaron felt sad, though he didn't know why.

* * *

Aaron was mad. A burning red hot sort of fury. Jasper had no right to say  _ any _ of that. Call was just as good as him, if not better. “That wasn’t  _ your _ spot. Master Rufus made it clear who he wanted, and it wasn't you. And now I can clearly see why, I mean who would ever want someone like you?” He said coldly, before he stormed off. He wasn't sure if he could hold himself back from physically attacking Jasper if he stayed any longer. Call was better than he, anyone could ever be. 

He sat down stiffly on the couch of their common room and attempted to calm down. He threw his boot at the wall, and felt marginally better. He hurled the other boot at the wall again, this time imagining it was Jasper’s face and smirked a little. A few moments later Tamara walked into the room wringing her fingers. She still had a slight look of shock on her face.

“What happened?” he asked, careful not to upset her.

“I can't believe I just dumped a bowl of pudding on Jasper’s head,” she whispered. Aaron’s jaw dropped open. She did  _ what? _ Aaron felt the sudden need to congratulate her. 

He laughed sheepishly. “Don’t worry, if I’d stayed for a little longer, I probably would've punched him in the face.”

“You?” Tamara asked in surprise. “But you're usually so nice!” 

“Yeah well, I think he would’ve deserved it. I'm sort of sad I missed the whole pudding thing.”

“But what will everyone else think? Kimiya saw me do that, and oh god, Master Rufus, he's going to be so  _ mad, _ ” she said in a panic. 

Aaron put an arm around her. “Hey, look at me. It's going to be alright. You're your own person, and if Master Rufus has any sense at all, he won't blame you for it.”

Tamara sniffled a little. “Thanks, I really needed that.”

“Do you want tea?”

“Yeah, green. Thanks.”

“No problem, it's what friends do,” he said easily. “Now, tell me all about how you dumped pudding over that utter  _ bitch’s _ head.” He said with a grin. 

Just then, Call walked in, though he hung around the doorway awkwardly. “Hey, uh, thanks. I've never had anyone stand up for me like you guys did.”

Aaron felt a flash of fury, quickly replaced by a feeling of dismality. “Of course we'll stand up for you, we're friends after all.”

“Friends?” Call asked hopefully. “I thought you guys were mad at me.”

“Why would we be mad? And of course we're friends!”

“Oh. I thought you guys blamed me for, well, what happened.”

“Of course we don't blame you, I thought you blamed us for getting you in trouble,” Aaron said.

“No! Of course not!”

“Well then, I guess you're stuck with us now!”

They stayed up the rest of the night chatting, and for the first time in a long while, Aaron felt truly happy.

* * *

_ Oh god. _ A test. After all those hours in the Room of Sand and Boredom, Aaron wasn’t sure that they actually learned anything, and now they had a test?! Master Rufus hadn’t told them anything, despite the constant wheedling from Tamara. 

When they entered the cavern, Aaron was sure that this was all some sort of practical joke. There wasn’t anything there! Then the air elementals appeared, and the mages disappeared. Had they just been abandoned to  _ die _ ?!

Then he noticed the mages watching them from a stone balcony.  _ Huh, _ he thought. Maybe this was the test. As the snakelike elementals slithered out, he ran out at them. Quite recklessly, he later realised. The elemental tossed him away with its tail. Blind panic overtook him, and the earth around him rose up to catch him. When he came back to his senses, he stumbled up, and looked around. It looked like a giant hand had rose out of the ground.  _ Did I, did I do that? _ He thought to himself in amazement. All of a sudden, he could feel every granule of earth around him. He felt powerful.

After that, everything got easier. Call made the stalactites fall onto the air elementals, and Tamara bound one to the ground. They had definitely passed the test, and more than that they had won. As they left the cavern, Aaron overheard the mages talking about him. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.” One of the mages said.

“Except in, “ Master Rufus paused. 

One of the other mages finished the sentence for him “I know, Constantine.”

* * *

A fire elemental stared down at them. Or more accurately, a Devoured. Besides them, the small fire lizard stared at him smugly. Aaron flicked his wrist and a column of earth sent the small elemental flying.  _ Who’s the smug one now, _ he thought. The Devoured stared, unimpressed. “You are far from your paths, apprentices,” they said. 

Tamara gasped. “Are you a, a Devoured?”

“Yes. But I was once like you. Weak and human, but the fire burned away those parts of me.”

Aaron’s eyes were wide. “You mean, you’re immortal?”

“I am so much more than that. As long as there is fire in the world, I will be eternal.” The thing leaned close. Aaron could feel his skin starting to blister, yet…

“Aaron!” Call shouted. “Get away from it! It’s going to absorb you!”

The Devoured laughed, a low crackling sound that reminded him of how flames would crackle in their fireplace. “Devour you? There is not much magic to squeeze out of you.” Their gaze lingered on Aaron. “But with time, perhaps…”

Aaron looked into their eyes. “What do you want from us?”

“Want from you? Nothing at all. But for you? I have many interesting things to tell,” They said. “One will die, one will fail, and one will be destroyed,” They said ominously.

Then Master Rufus strode into the room forbiddingly. “Leave my apprentices, Marcus. It will not matter who you once were.”

The Devoured roared. “Do not call me by a name that is no longer mine.” Then their eyes flicked to the apprentices. “You I will see again.” Then he dissipated in a burst of flames.

* * *

Aaron rubbed his eyes blearily. Rufus had called them to the common room, looking grave, though he didn’t specify why. Next to him, he could see Call with Miri, and Tamara with hair already in a tight braid looking tense. “What’s wrong?” he asked. 

“Have any of you seen Drew Wallace? He was talking to you at dinner, did he discuss anything with you? Any plans?” Master North asked.

“Uh, no. Why?” Tamara asked.

“Drew left the Magisterium late in the night tonight. He left a note that he was running away. You know how dangerous it would be to have a half trained mage to be loose. And to say nothing of the Chaos-ridden.”

Call seemed shocked. “What? He ran away?”

“And what you’re concerned about isn’t him, it's what he could do?! Don’t you care?” Aaron exclaimed with a touch of anger.

“Rufus. Do you always allow your apprentices to speak like this?” 

“The boy has a point. We  _ should _ care more about people, instead of thinking about them as collateral damage.”

“The last time-”

Rufus cut him off. “I am well aware of my mistakes. You need not to flaunt them.”

North addressed the group, “You will begin searching for Drew with Alexander. He will meet you at the Mission Gate.”

Aaron wondered what had made Drew run.

* * *

The pack of Chaos-ridden wolves were getting closer. Alex was still trapped, trying to heal Drew, and the rest of them had no idea what to do. Aaron felt afraid. The Magisterium was supposed to protect them, help them, but they were nowhere in sight. Aaron felt alone, with the sharp wind whipping around them. The moonlight cast an eerie glow on the dark night, and more wolves seemed to crawl out of the moving shadows. Still the pack of wolves drew closer, running towards them with an unnaturally smooth lope, gliding along the ground like phantoms.  _ They were monsters _ , Aaron realized.  _ They had no soul left in them, and they wanted for nothing but darkness. _

Determination. Aaron was  _ not _ going to die here. He was not going to wait for the mages that would never come in time. He was not a lamb awaiting slaughter, he was powerful. 

He walked forward with determination spurring his footsteps, and planted his feet into the ground. He raised his arms, palms out facing towards the unnatural  _ beasts. _ Behind him, he could hear Call shouting at him to get away, and his stance faltered for a moment before he blocked out his voice. He curled his fingers slightly, and a shade darker than black came pouring out of his palms, reaching towards the wolves, intent on Devouring them, and everything else. Aaron felt powerful, he would never be afraid again. He swept his arm slowly, guiding the darkness that he had made. But as the smoke poured out of him, he could feel something else slipping away too. He felt more disconnected than ever. The control he had earlier started fading away, and instead of his fear and anger, his mind came back to him and he fell to his knees. With the last of his strength, he pulled the blackness back, and it disappeared into nothingness. 

As he gasped for breath, he looked at his hands in shock. Had he  _ done _ that? It felt like someone completely different had taken over. He looked out across the flat grass and surrounding forest. Not even a remnant of the wolves were left, it was like they had simply disappeared. Aaron felt sick, he had  _ killed _ all of them, and what scared him most was that he  _ knew _ if he hadn’t regained his control, he would’ve killed his friends and everyone else too. All of a sudden, he could understand how Marcus had become a Devoured. The power, it was intoxicating.

Call ran over to him. “Aaron! Oh my god, are you okay?” he asked in concern. He placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and Aaron turned around. His eyes were wide and blank, and there were silent tears running down his face. 

“What did I just  _ do _ ?” he whispered in horror. 

Call wrapped him in a tight hug. “It’ll be okay, things will get better.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You did what you had to do, and I don’t blame you for it.”

Aaron rested his chin on Call’s shoulder and quietly whispered, “Okay.”

Then as the mages came,  _ too late, always too late, _ and the whispers of a new Makar started. _ Did you hear? Aaron Stewart is the new Makar. _   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This is not done, I was originally going to do the entire Iron Trial in here, but then I got tired so- anyways this proves that all my serious fics are angst so I hope you enjoyed. Kudos and comments and my lifeblood.


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